The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1800 Cultural Integration
"...I'll always find a way to find you, and you'll regret it then."

Calm, cold, and chilling.

The driver's eyes widened, and he suddenly turned to look at Anson, his face full of innocence.

Then a voice came from the phone, "Did you turn around? Please keep looking ahead, drive carefully, and be safe."

The driver felt a sharp pain instantly, immediately turned around, gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands until his knuckles turned white, and his throat went dry.

There's no need to wait until later to regret it; he's already trembling, weak, and helpless right now, okay?

Heaven and earth, Jesus Christ, all the gods and Buddhas, whoever it may be, please bless this innocent little driver, please, please!

The driver swallowed hard, barely managing to stay calm, and glanced at himself in the rearview mirror. "He... uh, he looks a bit disheveled..."

Anson: ? ? ?
Lucas, "Anson Wood!"

Anger, raging across the Atlantic, burst from the cell phone receiver; even its aftershocks could burn the driver to ashes.

The driver panicked. "But...but!but!" He repeated "but" several times. "That's all. He just looks a little disheveled on the surface; but he's fine, everything is fine, everything is as good as can be seen."

Anson, "Sir?"

This didn't help, please!
The driver was also flustered. "I don't know how to explain it. You look fine. Your hair is a little messy and your cheeks are a little flushed. That's all. There's nothing special about it. I can't see anything else, and I have no way to examine your body."

Anson: ...

Lucas: ...

The air suddenly became quiet.

Anson struggled to suppress his laughter and nodded slightly. "Yes, you really can't get a medical check-up. After all, you need to focus on driving right now."

Only then did the driver realize that his words might have caused a misunderstanding. He held his breath, his cheeks flushed red.

Lucas seemed to sense the driver's sincerity, and the tension finally eased. "Sir, so he really does seem to be alright?"

The driver nodded vigorously, then realized a beat later that the person on the other end of the phone couldn't see his movements. "Yes, he's fine. He just looks a little tired."

Lucas, "Anson?"

Anson let out a long breath. "There was some chaos at the airport just now, and the situation was about to get out of control, so I helped out..." Anson then briefly explained the whole story to show that he was just a little tired. "The airport security team did an excellent job."

Lucas: "Yes, I know, that's why I said you need a security team."

Anson: ...

Lucas ignored him. "The airport security team, right? What's the team leader's name? I should thank them."

Anson let out a long sigh of relief, feeling helpless but still obediently answering, "Will, the team leader's name is Will O'Connell."

Anson knew that while gratitude was one thing, Lucas also wanted to ask for details and confirm that he was alright.

Even if he doesn't say it, Lucas will always find out the answer. He might as well cooperate; maybe he can still enjoy some free time here.

After filming wrapped on "The Hangover," Anson boarded a private jet and left North America, quietly crossing the Atlantic to the British Isles, heading to Edinburgh. His reason was simple: to learn the accent.

"Children of Men" is a story set in Britain, and Alfonso Cuarón and Forest Films wanted to respect that because many details of the story are closely related to cities and continents, which also meant that Anson needed to speak fluent British English.

This is not an easy task.

After the 1990s, a large number of professional actors from Britain, Australia, and Canada flocked to Hollywood, as well as from France, Germany, Italy, and so on; but unlike actors from other countries and regions, actors whose native language is English have a slight advantage.

Indeed, most of these actors come from the academy system. They have not only received systematic education, but have also honed their basic skills on stage for many years. The entire actor selection system is a traditional academy system, which is completely different from the fact that half of Hollywood's actors come from grassroots backgrounds.

Therefore, these foreign actors, by demonstrating outstanding professional skills, created a wave that easily took jobs away from Hollywood's local actors.

That is why the BAFTA Awards are an important indicator when the Academy Awards are being publicized each year. British actors have long been an indispensable part of Hollywood, and the BAFTA results can provide insight into the voting trends of these British film professionals.

Returning to the topic of accents, British actors can easily imitate North American accents, even down to different regions and cities. The southern accents of New Orleans and Atlanta are quite different from the northern accents of Chicago and Baltimore.

Conversely, American actors faced numerous difficulties when practicing British accents. They struggled to even distinguish the distinct accents of different regions such as England, Scotland, and Wales, not to mention the subtle and nuanced differences between different areas of London, making it almost like learning a completely new language.

When American actors play British roles, their British accents are so jarring that even casual viewers can easily detect it, without needing much expertise. This has happened more than once.

Now, the "Children of Mankind" are also facing such a crisis.

Anson knew his place; he was just a pretty face. A pretty face starring in a show like "Children of Men" was bound to be scrutinized by nitpickers. Every detail of his performance would be examined under a microscope, not to mention his accent, which was practically the number one target right in front of him.

Therefore, Anson needs to learn the accent, not just learn it, but make it deeply imprinted in his soul and truly integrate it into the language system.

Why is it so difficult to speak with a British accent, especially a London accent?

Pronunciation itself is only one aspect; the truly important parts are sentence structure, word choice, and so on. Language itself is a reflection of class, family, and culture.

For example, when referring to going to the restroom, the terms used by royalty, the elite, the working class, the nobility, and residents from other regions who have come to live in London are all different.

In "Titanic", Mrs. Brown is a nouveau riche who tries to integrate into high society. She wears gorgeous clothes and exquisite jewelry to attend banquets, but her background is immediately exposed.

The reason lies in language.

Accent, vocabulary, pronunciation, and articulation—the moment you open your mouth, you reveal yourself. These are things deeply ingrained in your soul that cannot be changed without long-term exposure and training.

The same applies to the story of "The Count of Monte Cristo." The usually cautious Count of Monte Cristo spent years changing his language habits and pronunciation to integrate into high society, but he still inadvertently revealed his identity because of his choice of words.

For Anson, this was a very difficult and tedious task.

Filming for "The Hangover" wrapped up back in August. After that, Anson quietly spent time in Edinburgh learning the language, correcting his accent, and integrating into the local daily life.

Anson lived in Edinburgh for nearly three months without attracting any attention.

As a result, he was exposed as soon as he returned to London.

Damn it!

(End of this chapter)